The minimum wage in Arizona is now $10 an hour after voters approved an increase last year. But it was a long contentious road to get there. But one researcher wanted to know how raising the minimum wage affects workers’ lives in other ways.

It’s time for our Friday NewsCap and some voices from the news this week. And here with us to discuss the temporary blocking of school voucher expansion in Arizona, new challenges for Sen. Jeff Flake, and other stories are former legislative leader Chad Campbell, currently with Strategies 360; and former lawmaker Jerry Lewis.

Workers in the so-called gig economy will soon have another way to get around the Valley. Maven Gig, which is a service of General Motors, plans to roll out a fleet of cars in Phoenix this fall, specifically for gig workers.

Classes are starting soon at Arizona State University, and one of those classes has raised controversy just about every year it’s been offered. That’s “The Problem of Whiteness” a class taught by professor Lee Bebout, an associate professor in ASU’s Department of English. He started the class back in 2015.

The truth is out there — somewhere. The question is: do we want to find it? This is an issue that’s of interest to Lynn Vavreck. She’s a political science and communication professor at UCLA and has written about it.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced the Department of Justice will renew a crackdown on illegal substances — essentially reigniting the War on Drugs. To learn more, we turn to Dean Dabney. He’s a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University.

Despite health care reform appearing to be on its last legs — at least temporarily — President Trump is still sending out tweets pushing for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to get something done on the issue. That unpredictability has sent insurance providers across the country into the uncomfortable realm of uncertainty.

President Trump and his administration have become the muse for late night television. Satire may soothe the frustration of those on the other side of the aisle, but is it doing anything constructive? And is it even funny anymore?

For questions or comments about this website, please contact the KJZZ webmaster. For general comments or questions see the Contact KJZZ page for a listing of contacts by topic. Please note: Station policy mandates that listeners who win on-air giveaways on this station are not eligible to win again for 30 days.

Email regarding NPR's coverage, ethics, and funding can be sent to the NPR Ombudsman, who maintains an informative web page. For comments or concerns regarding NPR programs, listeners with a general inquiry, visit NPR's contact form.